Another jump: Number of coronavirus cases in Florida swells to 6,741

85 deaths reported

ORLANDO, Fla. – Yet again, Florida saw another jump in the number of coronavirus cases over the course of a few hours, this time by an additional 403 for a new grand total of 6,741 as of Tuesday evening.

That number includes 85 people who have died, compared to 77 deaths as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, which is the last time figures were released.

The new 6,741 figure includes 857 hospitalizations, 251 non-Florida residents who were diagnosed while visiting the state and nine Floridians who tested positive while in a different part of the country.

Travel appears to be to blame for 737 cases, contact with a confirmed case caused 1,002 instances, travel and contact is cited as the reasoning for 458 cases and the remaining 4,293 are under investigation.

Health officials have not said how many people who tested positive for the respiratory illness in the past four weeks have since recovered.

Here’s how the numbers break down for Central Florida counties:

County

Cases

Hospitalizations

Deaths

Brevard

37

7

0

Flagler

18

2

0

Lake

66

13

0

Marion

25

2

0

Orange

373

62

4

Osceola

110

34

1

Polk

73

28

1

Seminole

103

25

0

Sumter

51

15

0

Volusia

80

20

1

According to data provided by the agency, the day with the most new cases since COVID-19 made its way to the Sunshine State was Sunday with 898 new instances. Monday saw 873 new cases. Thus far, Tuesday sits at 772.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been reluctant to issue a statewide lockdown but on Monday, he issued an executive order requiring that residents in the hardest-hit counties -- Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach -- stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave the house. The mandate is in effect until April 15.

Collectively, those three counties have 3,893 of the state’s 6,741 cases, meaning more than half.

About the Author:

Adrienne joined News 6's digital team in October 2016 to cover breaking news, crime and community interest stories. She graduated from the University of Central Florida and began her journalism career at the Orlando Sentinel.